


The Captain and the Hourglass

by werecadet



Category: The Aquabats! Super Show!
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, Sickfic, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-09
Updated: 2013-11-09
Packaged: 2017-12-31 22:55:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1037356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/werecadet/pseuds/werecadet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jimmy the Robot is super sensitive to the cold. He contracts a virus and it's up to the rest of the team to fix him before he's broken for good. Takes place right after Season 2's episode "The Thingy!", very minor spoilers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Captain and the Hourglass

**Author's Note:**

> This wasn't only the first fic I've written for The Aquabats! fandom, but my first fic that ever made it to paper for me. I'm an artist, not a writer, so bear with me. Many thanks to everyone who gave feedback and encouraged me to post and continue with your too-kind words. This is dedicated to lacockroach on tumblr, who sent me the initial prompt in the first place. Bless their buggy heart. Originally posted on my tumblr when I wrote it back in July.

Tonight was an uneventful night with The Aquabats. After the misadventures concerning the The Thingy, they were taking a much needed break. Warmly nestled in the expansive living space of the BattleTram, they were all gathered around the conference table and intently focused on a video game projected on the large screen.

“AAAAAAHCHOOOOOOO!!!”

Jimmy’s loud sneeze not only surprised his team, but also triggered an electrical pulse that made the lights on the tram flicker. Another sneeze and the plugged-in appliances in the kitchen counter set off all at once. One more and their video game glitched, the television screen going dark.

“Whoa there, Robot! Are you going faulty?” asked Bones, somewhat concerned. “No no, Bones. It’s likely just a hiccup in my programming due to the cold weather. A ‘bug’ if you will,” reassured Jimmy.

Crash recoiled in fear, “A bug?! I hate bugs!!!” “No, not like an insect, Crash. I mean a sickness, like when the Commander gets a cold and expels mucus all over every surface of the BattleTram.” Jimmy puts a metallic hand on Commander’s shoulder, silently ceasing his expected protest. “Only minus the bodily fluids,” he finished.

Ricky breathed a sigh of relief. “So, I can’t catch your gross robot sickness, right?”

“It’s not contagious, Ricky. Do not worry. But it does seem to be effecting the electronic systems on the Tram, so let me suggest that you guys get some rest.” Jimmy sniffles, and moves to shepherd them off to bed. The Commander shuffles and agrees, “Ya heard the robo-mom! Off to bed, boys!”

Everyone nodded in agreement, shuffling out of the living room, hoping to get ready before Jimmy shorted out the entire lighting system on the Tram with his sneezing. Crash, lagging a little behind Ricky and Bones, got to the doorway and turned to face the other two remaining in the room. “Uhh, Jimmy?”

“Yes, Crash? What is it?”

Crash looked to the ground and shuffled his feet awkwardly. “D-D-D’ya want my teddy bear tonight? When I’m feeling sick, I cuddle with my bear and it makes me feel loads better!” The robot was touched by his friend’s thoughtfulness but politely declined. “No, but thank you Crash! You keep your bear tonight. He’ll keep the bad dreams away!” Crash beamed back at his friend, reassured, and practically bounded out of the room. “G’night, Commander! G’night, Jimmy! Feel better soon!”

As the door hissed shut, a pair of arms snaked around Jimmy’s chest. The robot was always pleased when the Commander was physically affectionate. It made him feel more…normal, even though he was feeling less than adequate tonight. But, now that the rest of the team was out of sight, the Commander looked up at his robotic boyfriend with worry. “Are you sure you’re okay, Jimmy? You said you’re fine, but your bugs usually don’t short out the entire Tram…” he ventured tentatively. Jimmy smiled down at the Commander, moved by his concern and wrapped his arms around his back in return.

“While the concern over my health is incredibly appreciated, do not fret, Commander. I will run some tests and activate my antivirus software as needed.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on the worried crease in the Commander’s brow. The Commander frowned and sighed dramatically, “Well, those weren’t the most soothing romantic words I’ve ever heard, but I’ll accept it as an improvement.” He shook his head and smiled, happy enough to be close to his (sick) robot. Straightening up, the Commander gave Jimmy a quick peck in return. 

“Listen up, I’m gonna run and throw on some PJs, and then I’ll be back to keep you company while you run your test thingys. We’ll make it a totally fun sleepover!” Jimmy grinned, “You’ll really stay with me while I diagnose this virus?” The Commander smiled back to match. “Of course, dude! What kind of bro would I be if I didn’t?” He playfully punched Jimmy in the shoulder and raced out of the room, excited to spend the night hanging out with the robot. “Don’t forget to brush your teeth, Commander!” he called out after him, fairly certain he wasn’t listening.

Now that he was gone, Jimmy’s face faltered, feeling a lot worse than he let on. He stuck a finger under the neckline of his rashguard, releasing all of the steam that had been collecting from his overheated circuits, hoping to cool back down to a normal temperature before the Commander returned. The rashguard blocked him from feeling most of the heat when they were hugging, but he wasn’t sure for how much longer he could go fooling the Commander. The robot shifted uncomfortably and swayed on his feet before attempting to take a few steps to the couch. “Man, I’m really not feeling well, I should lie down…”

 

* * *

 

The Commander whistled happily to himself as he quickly changed into his pajamas. He made sure everyone else was nestled comfortably in their beds and tucked Crash’s teddy into its rightful place under the covers. He shut the light and headed down the hallway back towards the living area. “Whoops, I guess I should brush my teeth, I don’t need the robot to gripe about my hygiene more than he already does…” But before he could make an about-face towards the bathroom, the Commander heard a loud crash and a “CLUNK!” coming from the way he was originally headed.

Racing down the hall and smashing the door button, the Commander's heart rose into his throat.

On the floor of the living room was Jimmy, apparently fainted and out of commission on the floor. Steam poured out of his ears. A few sparks flew, as the lights of the Tram flickered. The Commander fell to his knees at his his side and shook his shoulders, his voice squeaking in alarm. “Jimmy?! Are you okay?! Can you hear me? Jimmy!” He went to touch the side of his normally-cool helmet and was instantly scalded by the hot metal. Hissing in pain, he retracted his hand and leaped into the kitchen area. He grabbed a pair of oven mitts from the stove and began poking and prodding his unconscious robot boyfriend, checking for physical damage. Relieved there was nothing wrong on the outside, save for a small ding from the fall, the Commander was certain this had to do with Jimmy’s virus. But knowing next to nothing about electronics aside from how to text funny cat pictures to his friends and hook up his game system, the Commander chewed his lip with worry, lost as to the next step.

Thankfully, the rest of the team was roused by the flickering electronic systems and the Commander’s frantic cries and sleepily shuffled into the room, not knowing what was going on. The Commander was in a full-on panic now, unsure of what to do to save the robot.

“Commander, what happened to Jimmy?” asked Ricky. Bones kneeled down next to Jimmy’s head. “Yeah, what did you do?” The Commander wailed, “I didn’t do anything, he said he was gonna run some tests a-a-an-and when I came back in, he was like this on the floor! What are we gonna do? He’s really broken forever now, I can’t fix this! What am I going to do without him?” All of the Commander’s crippling worst fears about his leadership skills and being abandoned were now bubbling to the surface in a full-fledged meltdown.

Bones stood up and grabbed the Commander by the shoulders. “Commander! We will figure something out! But I need you to calm down and shut up while we do so! It’s not going to help Jimmy!” The Commander appeared to sober up slightly at his friend’s words and nodded sullenly in agreement. Ricky noticed Crash at the edge of the scene, worriedly looking the whole situation over. He was hugging his bear, but saying nothing. He piped up, “Hey Crash, why don’t you sit the Commander down in the kitchen and make some cocoa while me and Bones try some robot troubleshooting?”

Crash snapped out of his trance and sought out the Commander, eager to help however he can. He guided his friend away, well, less ‘guiding’ and more ‘forcefully dragging’, the Commander reluctant to take his eyes away from the scene. “C’mon Commander, I’m gonna make you some cocoa just like Ricky said, even with some cinnamon on it, if you want!” He all but lifted the Commander onto the kitchen stool, and instructed him to wait there. The Commander visibly deflated onto the counter, his mind working a mile a minute. About how crummy a leader he is to let this happen in the first place, what a bad friend, and what a totally awful boyfriend he was… How would the team cope with this? How was he going to deal? …What was he going to tell Jimmy’s mother?

A whole new wave of panic washed over him, as he tore off his helmet and cast it aside. He wrung his hands through his hair and did all he could to keep from bursting into tears or throwing up right there on the counter, or both. Thankfully, Crash was there in that very instant, pushing a cup of cocoa into his hands, complete with whipped cream and the perfect amount of cinnamon sprinkled on top. He distractedly took a sip, not minding the scalding temperature or the mess on the stove that Crash made in his rush to help out. “Feeling any better, Commander?” He didn’t reply, just leaned his head onto Crash’s shoulder, trying to seek wordless comfort in his oldest friend. Crash wrapped an arm around him and they turned to watch Ricky read from Jimmy’s manual as Bones dragged a heavy-looking toolbox over.

“We’re gonna try to open up some vents to cool him down, hopefully that will help him from overheating damage…” Bones said, fishing some tools from the box and setting to work. Ricky added, “maybe if we put some cool towels on his synthetic skin, that would help too? The Professor says here his skin is really advanced; a lot like our own! He sweats and salivates just like us!” Nodding in agreement, Bones looked over to meet the gazes of the still devastated-looking MCBC and worried Crash. “Maybe you guys can do that for us? Grab some cold damp towels and try and cool off Jimmy that way?”

Happy to be given another task, Crash grabbed the Commander by the hand and lead him to the bathroom and set about his project. The Commander dejectedly sat on the edge of the toilet. He mumbled, “I really am incompetent, I can’t even handle this task on my own…I’m the worst leader ever…” Crash straightened from where he was bent fishing for towels, and looked over at his friend. “Commander! Stop it! This isn’t helping you OR Jimmy! He won’t be happy to know you’re beating yourself up over this!” He lowers his voice from a dull roar and quietly adds, “I’m not as dumb as I look, I know you are crazy about him and that he loves you too, so get it together, for his sake! He’s going to need everyone’s help!”

This pep talk jolted the Commander back into action, now snapped out of his mood, determined to get his robot boyfriend back in working order. Even if it was just to avoid the wrath of Mrs. Goodman, Jimmy’s mom. No, _Martha_. She pulled him aside when they were visiting last and insisted that he call her by her first name, since they were all practically family. The Commander blushed at the memory flash and leapt into action, eager to not disappoint her. He grabbed the damp towels and all but raced back down the hallway, Crash bounding right behind him.

 Back inside, Ricky and Bones were just finishing up their work and packing up the toolbox. Bones stated that they did what they could for now, but they needed to get in touch with the Professor. Ricky added that he would know how to get him back online, and to assess the damage that the overheating my have caused. “I’ll call, I haven’t talked to the Professor in ages!” volunteered Crash. He went off to the cockpit of the BattleTram to do just that.

Ricky and Bones silently worked together to drag the heavy toolbox back into Jimmy’s lab, leaving the Commander alone again with the still robot. Arms full of dripping towels, he took a moment to take in the sight of all of the now-shirtless robot, exposed vents and ports slowly releasing steam. He sat down near Jimmy’s head and pulled him into his lap, careful not to disrupt anything and ignoring the heat emanating from his body. He was beginning to cool at least, and the Commander took great care in placing towels strategically along his body, neck and forehead. He cradled his boyfriend from behind, chest pressed flush against the robot’s back and holding him close despite the warmth. Soon he was finding himself very sleepy, appropriately tuckered from the whole ordeal and the emotional tug-o-war going on inside his head.

 

* * *

 

The Commander swore he only dozed off for a second, but when he awoke, it was daytime and he was definitely not still on the floor cuddling a robot. He rubbed his eyes sleepily. He was in Jimmy’s lab, that was a start. On a cot. Tucked in with blankets and all. A steady beeping filled the lab and the Commander slowly managed to focus on a figure leaned over a workbench, typing furiously away on a laptop. He was seated next to Jimmy, who was lying flat on the problem-solver-outer table, still offline and unresponsive. There were wires connected every which way to him, in addition to open panels on his body, revealing exposed circuitry and gears within the robot. The rest of the lab was darkened, with a single bright work light illuminated the table, revealing that it was indeed Professor Monty Corndog, hard at work.

The bearded man in glasses donned a white lab coat, sleeves rolled up to facilitate ease of movement. He returned to the table address Jimmy. His tongue stuck out in concentration as he toyed with a mess of fried wires in Jimmy’s open cranium. The Commander startled. He never saw his robot looking so prone and…exposed lying there on that table. His stomach flipped. He sat up slowly, not wanting to interrupt the Professor’s important work. So he watched silently and waited, almost entranced by the Professor’s hands steadily and slowly hopefully repairing Jimmy.

A long, indeterminate stretch of time passed before the Professor stopped with a sigh. He wiped his damp brow and put down his tools and pushed away from the table. He turned to his diagnostic computer hooked up to the ailing robot, so the Commander took the opportunity to make his consciousness known by clearing his throat loudly.

The Professor looked up from his typing and smiled. “Oh, Commander! You’re awake finally, good!” He bit his lip, “How is Jimmy? Is he going to be alright?!” The Commander pulled off his covers and stood up, tentatively approaching the table to take in his condition up close. “ Well,” the Professor began, wanting to choose his words carefully, “…he was in pretty rough shape. It seemed that the cold weather conditions the past few days warped some of his major systems. This caused the backups to work overtime and they finally overheated and initiated shutdown to preserve J.A.M.E.S.’s stored data.” The Commander was quiet, processing the information, and covered Jimmy’s now-cool robotic hand with his own.

He glanced up at the Professor glumly. “Why didn’t he say something sooner?” The Professor paused typing commands into his computer to quietly consider the man across from him, so changed from when he first met him and his team on that beach, so many years ago now. So many years later, he now regarded him as a beloved near-son, a competent leader, and an obviously indiscriminately passionate human being—coming into his own as not only the leader he was meant to be, but also a lover, protector, and role model for his teammates and all others who have met him and will meet him. He has become so much more than the brash, impulsive, rude kid with a mustache and a thirst for vengeance he met so long ago. The Professor also thought back to his own scrapbook he kept of newspaper clippings commemorating how his Aquabats saved the world and were changing it for the better. He smiled and finally continued.

“He’ll be just fine, Commander, don’t worry. You boys did the right thing by keeping him cool. Your quick thinking probably saved him from permanent memory damage. I’ve patched him up to the best of my ability, and am now installing some preventative protocol software to keep this from happening in the future,” he concluded by clapping the somewhat-relieved Commander on the back. “You still didn’t answer my question, Professor!” He pondered. “Hmm…maybe it is best that you ask him yourself when he reboots. You both have a lot to learn from one another, if I may say so. You just have to listen carefully.” A scowl crossed the Commander’s face, not quite pleased with the coy answer. “Now, once I finish up here, I’m going to set him up in the recharge station. It’ll take a few hours for him to fully charge, but once that is complete, he should reboot and be good as new. Does that make you feel better?”

The Commander didn’t look up from where he was staring at Jimmy, but silently nodded his understanding. He reached out to run his hand down one of Jimmy’s robotic arms and smiled. “D’ya hear that, buddy? Good as new!” probably more reassuring to himself than the unconscious robot. He then turned around and gave the Professor the cheesiest grin he could muster. “Thanks for making this particular house call, man!”

“House call?!” The Professor chuckled. “Ricky nearly drove the BattleTram through my front door in his haste! Good thing I don’t live far away! Anyways, maybe if you guys visited more frequently, stopped by for dinner sometime…”

“Free food?! We’re there!” The Professor laughed out loud at the Commander’s new enthusiasm and uplifting change in mood. A low grumbled echoed in the lab. “Oh…I guess I haven’t eaten yet, I’m starving!” he said sheepishly. “Go get something to eat, give your teammates the good news, and I’ll wrap things up here,” insisted the Professor. The Commander all but bounded out of the room, eager for a meal and even more excited to share the news of their robot’s prognosis with his team.

A half hour later, he returns to the lab with a delicious sandwich on a plate, and whistling a happy tune. The Professor was gone, probably inspecting the BattleTram to make sure they haven’t broken anything important since their last visit. The lights were still dimmed, with the brightest light coming from the recharge station in the far corner. Jimmy was propped up inside it. The Commander grinned at the sight, his robot looking much more normal than he had in a few days. The only thing out of the ordinary was the Professor’s diagnostic computer still hooked up to him, keeping check on the repair going smoothly. Crossing the room quickly, he settled on the base of the station, sitting at Jimmy’s feet. Digging into his lunch, he was content knowing things would be back to normal soon enough. He couldn’t wait to give his boyfriend a huge bear hug when he woke up, followed by a hopefully stern talking to regarding not letting issues become dire emergencies and going unaddressed again. He didn’t care about being all mushy gushy, he deserved it after last night’s scare. Placing the empty plate on the floor, he pressed his back against the wall of the recharge unit and curled one arm around Jimmy’s leg, seeking much-needed comfort in his presence.

Soon enough, he found himself being lulled back to sleep by the quiet beeping and humming of the machine…

 

* * *

 

Hours later, a pleasant ding signaled the completion of the robot’s charging sequence. A few minutes of whirring and beeping finally brought Jimmy back online. He blinked dazedly, slowly focusing his eyes to take in the new scene. He was back in his dark lab, docked in his recharge station. Scanning his own systems, he found no trace of the ‘bug’ and actually felt…pretty adequate. Super, actually! He was startled by a figure out of the corner of his vision, the Professor. “Ah, you’re back online! Welcome back, J.A.M.E.S.!” he quietly greeted. Mimicking his hushed tone, Jimmy replied, “It would appear so, Professor. It is a pleasant surprise to see you here! Did you repair me?” The Professor began unhooking his laptop from Jimmy. “Yes, but I can’t take all of the credit. Your whole team saved you, to be honest!” He gestured around the room where Jimmy finally noticed three sleeping forms dozing on his lab’s surfaces. Bones was stretched out on the empty lab table, hand outstretched over the edge. Underneath, Crash was curled up and using Ricky as a cuddle pillow. A snoring cuddle pillow. As cute of a sight that it was, Jimmy’s face involuntarily fell slightly. Noting his expression, the Professor cleared his throat and gestured for him to look downwards.

Grinning broadly, Jimmy did his best not to cry. The Commander was curled up at Jimmy’s feet, sound asleep, wrapped up in Ricky’s blanket and cuddling Crash’s teddy with one arm, the other still clasped protectively around Jimmy’s leg. There was a content smile on his face as he murmured unintelligibly in his sleep and curled closer to the robot. Regarding his precious family with pride and his robot heart practically bursting with affection, Jimmy put one hand over his mouth, trying not to awaken them. He couldn’t help using his other hand to reach down and place on top of the Commander’s helmet. The Professor beamed at his ragtag vagabonds.

Unable to contain himself any longer, the robot decided he needed to be closer to the Commander and carefully seated himself on the floor as well, wrapping his arms around his beloved friend and placed a kiss to his temple. While he didn’t awaken, the Commander stopped babbling in his sleep and settled perfectly content into his new position against Jimmy’s chest.

The Professor completed packing up his equipment, once again nodding his approval at the heartwarming scene. Not wanting to intrude further, he went to excuse himself. “Professor?” Jimmy called out. He turned.

“Thank you for repairing me. I realize that it would probably have been easier just to scrap me than attempt a repair…my damage was most severe…” The Professor looked disappointed in Jimmy’s continued lack of self-worth, but remained unsurprised, given the circumstances. He’s been the robotic companion to The Aquabats for so long now… The Professor smiled warmly from the doorway. “Oh Jimmy…do you not realize your importance yet on this team? I crafted everyone’s powers with express individual purpose, with the hopes you all would rise to the occasion when necessary. And you all have exceeded my expectations in kind ten fold. You are not ‘just a robot’ any more than the Commander is ‘just an idiot with a mustache,’ gesturing again to the man now snoring in Jimmy’s arms. “I’m so proud of all of you, individually and of the team you’ve become. I would never even dream of tearing any one part of it away, it just wouldn’t work. You all need each other, and that care and love is something so special that even I couldn’t fabricate.” He paused. “Jimmy, your love and kindness are what keeps them human.”

Jimmy looked dumbstruck. All of his robot life he’s attempted to understand and emulate human behavior properly… The Professor laughed at his confused expression.

The robot finally spoke, quietly. “…thank you for the kind words, Professor, they mean a lot coming from you… Perhaps we can stop by for dinner later when everyone awakens? I’m sure they will be hungry.”

“Get them to fix the tire tracks they left all over my lawn and you have yourself a deal, Jimmy.” He chuckled and finally excused himself from the room, leaving The Aquabats to recover in peace.


End file.
